Adobe sells the flash development software but then does not charge users for the software to play flash on PCs.
Source: bit.ly/HrkNjS
close*Dropbox is widely believed to be profitable even though the company has not released any figures.
Sources: bit.ly/rDOyDy, onforb.es/nX9kM0, bit.ly/ldCCEs
close*Google is profitable but it’s difficult to determine profitability for each product due to their ad based revenue structure.
Source: bit.ly/PGDKFU
closeSource: bit.ly/AdkHZB
close30% of revenue from iTunes sales goes to Apple.
Sources: on.mash.to/VAoDi, bit.ly/e3pXG4
closeSources: bit.ly/oWMuGA, b.qr.ae/SRHnqQ
closeCraigslist charges for listings on select categories for select markets ($10-75 based on listing and market).
Source: bit.ly/rKxUA
closeFees are charged to sellers for each listing and transaction that occurs through ebay.
closeSources: nyti.ms/S8IbaP, rww.to/Jm0KG0, bit.ly/xKs7cZ
close*Depends on how you look at accounting. In-game purchases of virtual goods and in-game advertising are the main sources of revenue.
Sources: bit.ly/ssn1jC, read.bi/uyXdjY
closeGoogle takes a 30% transaction fee for each app sold, plus profits from in-app advertising.
Sources: bit.ly/N7GHBO, bit.ly/J3dULS
closeGoogle Chrome makes money indirectly through Google search advertising. Google.com is the default search engine for the Google Chrome browser.
*Google is profitable but it’s difficult to determine profitability for each product due to their ad based revenue structure.
closeGoogle Apps for Business gives subscribing businesses more control and security of their documents and data stored online. Users can rent additional storage (shared between Picasa, Docs, and Gmail) from 25 GB (US $2.49 / month) to 16 TB (US $799.99 / month). *Google Enterprise apps is profitable as a whole.
Sources: bit.ly/J1zW1P, zd.net/9CymtX
closeGmail is supported with ads from adwords.
*Google is profitable but it’s difficult to determine profitability for each product due to their ad based revenue structure.
Source: bit.ly/16ZKYL
closeNo specific information found for Google Voice, but it's widely believed to be not profitable.
*Google is profitable but it’s difficult to determine profitability for each product due to their ad based revenue structure.
Sources: bit.ly/Hq8c2g, bit.ly/MO7DI
closeGoogle's main source of revenue comes through their AdWords and AdSense advertising platforms.
*Google is profitable but it’s difficult to determine profitability for each product due to their ad based revenue structure.
Source: bit.ly/16ZKYL
closeAds on site and throughout embedded videos.
*Google is profitable but it’s difficult to determine profitability for each product due to their ad based revenue structure.
Source: bit.ly/MO7DI
closeShows ads alongside search results. Enterprise Google Maps, a subscription service, is also available.
*Google is profitable but it’s difficult to determine profitability for each product due to their ad based revenue structure.
Sources: bit.ly/xgA2a, bit.ly/16ZKYL
closeGroupon takes a cut of every deal that is sold. Launched Groupon VIP.
Source: reut.rs/JchEvA
closeBefore selling to Facebook they were not making money.
closeQuora's revenue stream is still unknown - may not exist yet.
Sources: on.mash.to/dG3zPW, b.qr.ae/SmpmEZ
close*Microsoft OS is profitable. IE is included as part of the OS but would not be profitable as a stand alone product.
closeXbox live charges users $50 annually for subscriptions to their service in addition to the virtual goods that are sold on the service.
Source: onforb.es/Ndj8To
close*The Mozilla Corporation is the profitable section of the non-profit Mozilla Foundation. The majority of its revenue comes from royalties paid by search engines.
Source: bit.ly/pa0Jtb
closeSource: bit.ly/SSC3WL
closeSoftware is free but subscribers can then purchase additional features that are unavailable as just the free software.
Source: bit.ly/VKegtD
closeAdded paying for "promoted" tweets.
Source: bit.ly/HEDTWK
closeKickstarter keeps 5% of the money raised for successfully funded projects.
Source: bitly.com/S8c1Nz
closeSource: bit.ly/MP9Aky
closeSelling Data - Companies and recruiters are able to pay and gain access to LinkedIn databases.
Source: bit.ly/MO4hDn
closeAmazon loses money with each Kindle but makes money from digital content sales - aiming to build up an ecosystem for a long-term profit.
Source: read.bi/nboy8P
closeSource: bit.ly/sFzjCd
closeRevenue from premium themes and paid inclusion to their blog directory - not profitable - investor backed.
Sources: on.wsj.com/J8ZuJD, tcrn.ch/dpmOeL, bit.ly/N8u9J2
closeSource: bit.ly/dh5rEM
closeWA has a few different apps available for purchase but most of their revenue comes from licensing their API out to enterprise companies. Wolfram Alpha Pro released for a monthly subscription fee.
Source: b.qr.ae/NRT1W5, read.bi/bzd6X2, bbc.in/wXKsWi
closeThe company makes money through sponsored links and affiliate sales.
Sources: bit.ly/TD29Bf, bit.ly/PiyXtg
closeBanner ads and sponsored results.
Sources: bit.ly/QbWs6M, rww.to/biI2YZ
closeSame as Stack Overflow - Overflow works inside the framework of Exchange.
closeStreaming music as a whole has had difficulty finding a way to be profitable, but no specific details could be found on Grooveshark.
Sources: on.mash.to/Q2RPfM, bit.ly/Oqxu8i, b.qr.ae/fSHntF
closePandora was notably profitable for the first time in 2011.
Sources: read.bi/urfldg, bit.ly/QxPMTI
closeFor their free services, users are allotted a certain amount of listening time per month. Afterwards they can opt into one of the paid subscriptions. No definite profitability answer found.
Source: tcrn.ch/nsfbHe
closeFree version does not include many features that the paid version does.
Sources: bit.ly/uyliUW, bit.ly/QxPQTq
closeSources: bit.ly/Qb14sB, bit.ly/eFGdmi
closeSource: bit.ly/v26CQR
closeSource: bit.ly/veneN
closeSource: bit.ly/c1DAki
closeSource: on.mash.to/Q1WXSs, b.qr.ae/RZFoXg
close